System Concept Development with Virtual Prototyping

Virtual prototyping with 3D drawing programs provides a means of rapidly developing system concepts and analyzing them for form, fit, logistics, human factors integration, and general feasibility analysis. The resulting models can be studied, viewed from different angles, and even ÒenteredÓ by multidisciplinary design teams working in an integrated product team environment. The authors were involved in two separate system configuration developments that benefited from an initial virtual prototyping approach. The first example presents the development of an electric gun concept for a ballistic missile defense application. The gun model was based on current technology developments and experiment results, and was constructed to answer the question Òwhat configuration can be assembled in the near term that would be air transportable?Ó The second example illustrates the development of a small waste remediation facility, and was constructed to provide a configuration baseline for study....

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: WSC
• Authors: James C. Schaaf Jr., Faye Lynn Thompson
• Keywords: Initial Virtual Prototyping, Modeling And Simulation, Question Òwhat Configuration, Virtual Prototyping, WSC 1997